TORONTO -- Rory McIlroy said he hopes the LIV Golf League is going away, but an official for the rival team-focused circuit told ESPN on Thursday that the league being fronted by two-time Open Championship winner Greg Norman isn't going anywhere.

"We know the big picture," the LIV Golf official said. "We don't know the details because this is the beginning of the [merger and acquisition] process. There's just a lot to be worked through in the coming weeks. I think a lot of our questions will be answered ... but the big picture, LIV is not going anywhere.

"We are -- and we will continue to be -- a stand-alone entity. It is business as usual for us for this year and beyond."

That's what Norman told LIV Golf officials in a teleconference Wednesday. Norman, the league's CEO and commissioner, was kept in the dark -- like just about everyone else in men's professional golf -- about the new alliance between Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which financed the LIV Golf League, and the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Others at the highest levels of the sport don't seem convinced that the LIV Golf League will have a seat at the table in the sport's new global ecosystem. Multiple sources have told ESPN that if there's a team concept in future seasons, it won't be in the form of the LIV Golf League -- and it won't include Norman.

"I still hate LIV," McIlroy said Wednesday. "Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF -- very different from LIV."

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, brokered the deal with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and two of the PGA Tour's policy board members.

"LIV has been Yasir [Al-Rumayyan]'s baby. He's poured everything into this and just the idea that he would just dissolve it is ridiculous. All of the people that are saying that are the same people who said LIV was dead in the water." LIV Golf official to ESPN

Al-Rumayyan told CNBC on Tuesday that he didn't make Norman aware of the alliance until shortly before it was announced, and the LIV Golf League official told ESPN on Thursday that he didn't know if Norman had spoken to Al-Rumayyan since.

"LIV has been Yasir's baby," the LIV Golf official told ESPN. "He's poured everything into this and just the idea that he would just dissolve it is ridiculous. All of the people that are saying that are the same people who said LIV was dead in the water."

Monahan will serve as CEO of the new, yet-to-be-named entity being formed by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF; Al-Rumayyan will be chairman. Monahan said the future of the LIV Golf League would be determined after a thorough evaluation once its 2023 season ends.

"I don't want to make any statements or make any predictions," Monahan said. "But what is in place is a commitment to make a good-faith effort to look at team golf and the role it can play going forward."

The Saudis dumped more than $2 billion into the breakaway league in its first season, after paying hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed contracts to lure Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and others away from the PGA Tour. Most of those deals were multi-year contracts.

Top LIV Golf players were also given 25% ownership of their respective franchises; the league owned the other 75%. The Saudis hoped to recoup their investment once the franchises were sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. The league's lawyers said in court documents obtained by ESPN in February that it generated virtually no revenue in its first season in 2022.

"Do you really think that Yasir was going to lure DJ, Brooks, Phil and Bryson over to LIV with the promise of creating these franchises that could have these billion-dollar valuations, and then a year later they're just going to dissolve it? No chance," the LIV Golf official said. "I still truly believe that [Al-Rumayyan] sees his return coming from the value of these franchises. And in my eyes, the franchise values just quadrupled in value, right?"

While LIV Golf had big crowds at tournaments in Australia and Singapore, it has struggled to get a foothold on TV in the United States this year. The league's season debut in Mayakoba, Mexico, and the second event in Tucson, Arizona, drew poor ratings. LIV Golf has since declined to provide TV ratings.

The LIV Golf League official said the PGA Tour's partnership with PIF has removed many of the challenges the circuit faced while trying to acquire corporate sponsors and media partners in the U.S. in the past.

"We're still making deals. We're still looking for host venues. It's business as usual. The biggest thing for us is now that all the headwinds and obstacles that we previously had have now been removed. Our runway is clear." LIV Golf official to ESPN

"We're still making deals. We're still looking for host venues. It's business as usual," the official told ESPN. "The biggest thing for us is now that all the headwinds and obstacles that we previously had have now been removed. Our runway is clear. Like Greg said, 'LIV is supercharged now.' Sponsors that previously wanted to talk to us are now re-engaging. It's been an overwhelming response, I'd say, by the open market in general."

As LIV Golf nears the one-year anniversary of its inaugural event outside London on Friday, its future seems uncertain at best. It has seven tournaments remaining this season, starting later this month in Spain. Its season concludes with a team championship in Saudi Arabia in November.

Whether the LIV Golf League stages another event beyond that remains to be seen.

"LIV can exist within the current ecosystem," the LIV Golf official said. "They're different products, right? I've never considered them to be competitive, competing products. You can like all of them, or you can like one of them, or you can like none of them. That's up to the market to decide.

"Clearly, LIV has gained an incredible amount of attraction and there is a market for it. I think to immediately go to LIV is getting dissolved is the laziest take out there."

The Minnesota Vikings have informed running back Dalvin Cook that they plan to release him, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday.

The Vikings are expected to try to trade Cook one more time Thursday, and if they are unable to, they plan to process his release Friday, according to a source. Either way, this will bring an end to Cook's six-year tenure in Minnesota.

The Miami Dolphins are expected to have an interest in signing Cook once he is released, sources told Schefter.

Cook, who turns 28 in August, was set to take up $14.1 million in cap space for 2023 and was due to earn $11 million if he spent the season with the Vikings. Those are big numbers for an aging running back who surpassed 1,500 touches in his career last season.

The Vikings would owe Cook $2 million if they release him. By doing so after June 1, the Vikings would save $9 million in cap space while taking on $5.1 million in dead money on their 2023 cap.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel declined to comment about Cook's expected availability when asked Thursday and complimented his current group of running backs, which includes veterans Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Myles Gaskin and rookie Devon Achane.

"Overall, very happy with the way they've practiced, very happy with their competitive camaraderie," McDaniel said. "They are all trying to be the best, but they're not doing it in spite of each other and they recognize that each one of them can help them get better, so it's been a cool camp for them."

The long-rumored split seemed certain after the Vikings re-signed Cook's longtime backup, Alexander Mattison, to a contract that included $6.35 million in full guarantees over the next few seasons. Given multiple opportunities after that move, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah refused to speculate on whether Cook would be on the Vikings' 2023 roster.

Mattison is expected to take over as the team's primary tailback, with 2022 backups Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler -- and possibly rookie DeWayne McBride -- competing for the No. 2 role. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said last month during organized team activities that Mattison has been demonstrating "that all-three-down kind of ownership that he's been capable of for a long time."

Cook, a second-round draft pick in 2017, struggled to stay on the field for much of the early part of his career in Minnesota. His rookie season ended after four games because of a torn ACL, and an assortment of other injuries cost him between two and five games in each of the next four seasons. A chronic shoulder injury ultimately forced him to wear a harness for long stretches of his career.

He nevertheless managed to produce four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between 2019 to 2022 and scored a combined 29 rushing touchdowns during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He also proved to be an effective receiver, averaging 42 receptions per season after his rookie year.

Cook managed to start every game in 2022 for the first time in his career, even after separating his shoulder in Week 3. But he finished with an average of 17.8 touches and 86 yards from scrimmage per game in O'Connell's new scheme -- both the lowest since he became a full-time player in 2019.

He did knock off two of the six longest runs of his career in 2022: a 53-yard score in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins and an 81-yard touchdown in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills. On the latter, he recorded a top speed of 21.68 mph, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the seventh-fastest speed of any ball carrier in 2022.

But his efficiency numbers, which measure the frequency of carries that produce a positive outcome, dipped noticeably. He led the NFL with 62 carries that either lost or did not gain a yard. And as ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted, only 34.5% of his carries gained a positive total of yards over expectation in Next Gen Stats' model, the second-lowest rate among running backs with at least 200 carries in 2022.

Cook underwent shoulder surgery Feb. 14 in hopes of avoiding the chronic separations he has had. At the time, the Vikings said he would be fully recovered in time for the regular season. He had not been participating in the voluntary portion of the Vikings' offseason program, and the timing of his departure means there will be no clash over whether he reports for mandatory minicamp later this month.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard will get a chance to regroup and recover after he was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday because of a blister on his right index finger.

Manager Dave Roberts had implied some sort of move could be made after Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings Wednesday as the Dodgers' losing streak hit four with an 8-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

"Noah has been going through it all year. It is not from lack of effort or preparation. It's just not working," Roberts said after the loss. "There's things with that blister. There was a fingernail break tonight. He's not going to make excuses. He understands about performance.

"We're going to sit down with him and try to figure out. Obviously, we can't continue at this pace of performance. There might be an opportunity to give him a reset to get this taken care of."

Syndergaard, who signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Dodgers during the offseason, saw his ERA balloon to 7.16. He has given up five runs or more in three straight starts and six earned runs or more in four starts this season overall, tied with Cincinnati's Graham Ashcraft and the Oakland Athletics' Kyle Muller for the most in the majors.

He previously had expressed displeasure with his performance, calling himself the rotation's "weakest link" last week.

Syndergaard, 30, missed all of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and has a 4.71 ERA over the past two-plus seasons. The right-hander went 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA last season with the Angels and National League-champion Phillies.

The Dodgers recalled right-hander Tayler Scott from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. Scott, 31, threw 1⅔ scoreless innings against the New York Yankees on Saturday in his only appearance for Los Angeles this season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Stian Angermund and Clementine Geoffray win individual titles on second day of World Mountain and Trail Running Champs

Thomas Roach produced the run of his life to win individual silver behind Stian Angermund of Norway in the short trail race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai on Thursday (June 8). In doing so he led the British squad to team gold too.

“Stian is a legend so I’m not ashamed of finishing second,” said the 43-year-old, who is from Sussex but based in Austria. “I’m delighted with my race.

“There was so much different terrain, which I really enjoyed,” he added. “I live in Innsbruck so had a good chance to train on parts of the course. I gave it everything,” added Roach, who recently won the Three Peaks Race in the UK.

Behind, former world champion Jon Albon finished fifth with Kris Jones eighth.

This 45.2km event covered 3121m of ascent from Innsbruck to Neustift im Stubaital. Angermund successfully defended the title he won in Chiang Mai last October as he clocked 4hr 19min just over 2min ahead of Roach, with Luca del Pero of Italy third.

Despite the gruelling nature of the course, Angermund went through aid stations ignoring food and drink. He slowed to a walk at one stage just before reaching the route’s highest point at the Starkenberger hut but pushed on during the downhill stretches to cement his victory.

“We started off super fast,” said Angermund. “On the first climb I decided to push. The last summit was challenging and I was suffering, but now I am very happy. This was my big goal for the year and I managed to achieve it.”

Clementine Geoffray won a closer women’s race as the French runner took gold in 4hr 53min, just over two minutes ahead of Judith Wyder from Switzerland, who had earlier dominated the race over long periods.

Bronze went to another Swiss athlete, Theres Leboeuf, as the Brits were led by Elsey Davis in 17^th.

Athletes enjoyed decent conditions for much of the race but some were affected when the weather worsened during the day. The organisers said: “Due to adverse and severe weather conditions, the 2023 WMTRC Trail Short competition was suspended at Kreuzjoch/Sennjoch today.

READ MORE: Andrea Mayr wins uphill race

“Around 50 athletes were affected; they had to trail back to the aid station Kreuzjoch and abandon the competition. The safety of everyone taking part is our absolute top priority and this was not possible to be guaranteed under the present weather conditions.”

Could Matthew Tkachuk become the biggest hockey star to ever come through South Florida?

And in some ways, is he already there?

Perhaps asking such a question is premature. Even a bit hyperbolic, or at least a manifestation of recency bias. How can someone who is on the verge of finishing his first campaign with the Florida Panthers -- a franchise that has had more than 440 players over its near 30-year history -- already create this sort of discussion?

Maybe it has more to do with the realization Tkachuk might be unlike anyone the Panthers have ever seen.

"To look at all the players who have come through this organization, Pavel Bure cannot compare to him," said Bill Lindsay, who spent seven seasons with the Panthers and is now a member of the team's broadcast crew. "Jonathan Huberdeau --- they are night and day different players. Brad Marchand is a comparable around the league somewhat in that he plays with that edge.

"He's changed the trajectory of this franchise. To me, he is unique. Of all the players who have come through here, he's a one-of-a-kind player."

Markets such as South Florida face a constant crucible from the outside world when it comes to how hockey is valued. All the familiar talking points have shadowed the franchise for the majority of its existence.

Not enough fans. Not enough long-term success to create generational fandom. There are too many entertainment options in South Florida. The Panthers play in an arena that is closer to the Everglades Wildlife Management Area than Fort Lauderdale.

Yet Tkachuk's arrival has hushed a number of those criticisms, while offering context to those who are not familiar with how sports fandom works in South Florida. It's a market that isn't always invested in every single game of a team's schedule. What does enthrall South Florida, however, is when something is an event.

This is why Formula One is there. It's why the NFL makes it a Super Bowl destination. It's why the Orange Bowl is a College Football Playoff/New Year's Six Bowl Game option.

Watching Tkachuk play hockey is an event. Watching Tkachuk in a press conference is an event. Watching Tkachuk on "Inside the NBA" is an event. Watching him talk about what it meant to be in People Magazine is an event.

"He has everything you'd want," said Dave Hyde, the longtime columnist at the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "He's funny. He's personable. He's very much a team player. He's a big scorer. He fights. This was a quiet, cute Panthers team a year ago when they led the league in [points in] the regular season. They didn't have a real loud personality. Now, their leading scorer has a fire to him that you don't have to understand hockey to understand what is going on. In that measure, he's perfect in that he transcends hockey."

South Florida has seen hockey stars before. Bure, Dino Ciccarrelli, Jaromir Jagr, Igor Larionov, Roberto Luongo and Joe Nieuwendyk are Hall of Famers. Joe Thornton will eventually join that list. All of them played with the Panthers.

Bure was a walking highlight reel who had two 50-goal seasons. Jagr had the mystique along with the relatable experience of being someone at a more advanced age who chose to live in South Florida. Luongo had the longevity, as 11 of his 19 seasons were in South Florida, coupled with the fact that his wife's parents owned a pizza restaurant not far from the team's practice facility in Coral Springs.

There are also other stars on this year's Panthers, such as two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky and two-time NHL All-Star Aleksander Barkov, who also has a Selke Trophy.

What makes Tkachuk different? What is it about him that has allowed him to own the conversation and made him more visible in one season than anyone else who has played there?

George Richards, who covers the Panthers for Florida Hockey Now, has been around the team for nearly 20 seasons. He explained how Bure had stardom because of his 50-goal campaigns and the fact he was dating pro tennis player Anna Kournikova. But he was in South Florida for just two full seasons. Jagr was with the team for three seasons at a stage in his career when he was a household name from his many years with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Luongo remains recognizable but Hyde points out that Luongo's best years came when he was with the Vancouver Canucks and that the Panthers made the playoffs only once in his time with the club.

"[Tkachuk] has become the poster boy, and in December was South Florida running amok with Matthew Tkachuk? No," Richards said. "The most casual fan didn't know who he was and they didn't know who he was when they traded Huberdeau for him.

"He got off on the wrong foot in South Florida because he played in Calgary. The hockey people had to tell the fans how good he is. Nobody here really watched the Calgary Flames. The thought was, 'You traded Huberdeau?' Nobody got past that. But since he came here, like Barkov said, it felt like he has known the guy for 10 years. Tkachuk won them over."

Hyde, Richards and longtime South Florida radio host Joe Rose all said the love affair with Tkachuk in South Florida started at his introductory press conference. Tkachuk turned heads for his now famed line of, "I hate Edmonton, but I hate Tampa more now."

Even so, Richards said, many fans had reservations after seeing the Panthers trade Huberdeau, a homegrown talent and 100-point scorer who never hid his affinity for South Florida.

Richards said Tkachuk did things like throw out the first pitch at a Miami Marlins game and leave an impression with the Marlins' television broadcast crew during his in-game visit, all before training camp even started.

"He was selling it from day one," Richards said.

But it took time for everyone to get on board. The Panthers went from dominating the NHL in the regular season in 2021-22 to looking like they could miss the playoffs this season. But then, Tkachuk produced in ways that helped the Panthers win while also putting himself in the Hart Trophy discussion as the league's most valuable player.

He also made his mark at the All-Star Game, which was held in South Florida. Tkachuk was named the game's MVP after scoring seven points in front of many of the fans who watch him play on a nightly basis.

"It had the Miami Vice feel and here's Matthew Tkachuk on his golf cart being the typical Florida guy," Richards said. "He took a lot of blame and a lot of people thought, 'We would have been better off if we had kept Huberdeau.' He had to overcome that. When this team was not very good, he took a lot of blame. ... The All-Star Game really helped. The Panthers were getting better and with Tkachuk in that Miami Vice jersey, he was the story."

Getting the Panthers into the Stanley Cup playoffs, finishing with the fourth 40-goal season in team history, the second-most assists (69) and second-most points (109) in team history and just the second 100-point season in team history was only the start. Leading Florida out of a 3-1 series hole to beat the Boston Bruins, who finished with the best regular-season record in NHL history, changed everything.

Tkachuk was one of the team's most visible figures in that series, scoring three goals and six points, including the winner in overtime in Game 5 to keep the season alive.

"Last year's team was so much fun. They could be down three goals in the third period and score seven," Rose said. "They put up stupid numbers and they were fun. But they didn't play that well in the playoffs. What he did in the regular season is one thing. But he comes into these playoffs. He's talking it, walking it, talking it again and he's got game-winning goals, setting guys up, jumping and trying to help. I think it's those things and his personality."

For former players such as Lindsay and Ed Jovanovski, also a member of the Panthers' broadcast team, seeing Tkachuk and the team do this well has made them emotional for many reasons.

It reminds them of what it was like during that 1995-96 season, when the Panthers were in the Stanley Cup Final. They remember what it was like to see the entire metro area care about the team and take interest in the sport.

They also remember the difficult years of the Panthers missing the playoffs and the constant reboots that came with the oft-used theme of "this time will be different" only to have the same disappointing result.

What Tkachuk is doing is coming at an important time for the Panthers. They've made the playoffs in four straight seasons, starting with the qualifying round in 2020. This is the longest stretch of consecutive playoff seasons in team history which, in turn, makes it the golden age of Panthers hockey.

"It's exciting because of what they have and where they are at age-wise, it should be a thing for where you are looking at this and you're going to put a great product on the ice," Jovanovski said. "The foundation is there and starting with Matthew and Barky, these guys are here long-term. A lot of their core guys are in the prime age of their career."

Rose said that's why the next long-term goal for Tkachuk and the Panthers is to sustain what they have done. He said South Florida still comes with the challenge of being a place that does not have an abundance of rinks. And while there are South Floridians in the NHL, Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakob Chychrun notably, there is work to be done when it comes to creating a long-term connection with the rest of the market.

Right now, the Miami Heat and the Panthers have South Florida's undivided attention. The Heat are used to that, whereas it has been a while for the Panthers. Rose cited the importance of the Panthers having the same established success that has allowed the Heat to create their long-standing fandom and interest.

"The winning and the fact that a lot more people down here can pick up a basketball, go to a gym and see kids are playing basketball," Rose said. "[The Panthers] got hurt by that. There wasn't a lot of hockey being played down here before [original team owner] Wayne Huizenga, and they had that one run and that died out after the success of going to the finals. This is going to be fun to see where this goes. I am curious to see where hockey fits into the big picture of South Florida."

The fact that Tkachuk is just 25 and is completing the first season of an eight-year contract on a team that is enjoying its longest period of sustained success creates optimism. So could Tkachuk be the biggest hockey star South Florida has ever seen?

"If he wins the Cup, he's the biggest star that ever comes through here," Lindsay said. "Nobody has done that. Nobody has ever done what he's done in the playoffs."

Barcelona have said Lionel Messi turned down their proposal because he wants to "compete in a league with fewer demands" after the forward confirmed he will join MLS side Inter Miami.

Messi, whose contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30, revealed on Wednesday he would not return to Barca because he could not wait any longer to see if they would be able to register his contract with LaLiga.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

In a statement which drew criticism on social media, Barca responded by saying they "understood" Messi's decision to take himself out of the spotlight.

"On Monday, Jorge Messi, the player's father and representative, informed club president Joan Laporta of the player's decision to join Inter Miami," Barca said.

"This despite having been presented with a proposal from Barca, in consideration of the desire of both Barcelona and Messi for him to once again wear the club's colours.

"President Laporta understood and respected Messi's decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years."

Barca are in excess of their LaLiga-imposed spending limit and can only invest 40% of any money they save or generate.

Even if Messi was willing to play for free, league sources said he would have accounted for €25 million within Barca's cap, based on previous earnings. Therefore, registering him is impossible. The scenario is remarkably similar to when Messi left the club in August 2021.

After revealing his intention to sign for Miami, Messi said he did not want to put himself in that situation again and wanted to keep his future "in my own hands."

Barca coach Xavi Hernandez, who led the charm offensive to convince Messi to return to the club where he spent 20 years previously, said he respected the Argentina forward's decision.

"We speak a lot and I noticed a change in recent days," Xavi told Jijantes on Thursday. "[I felt] that maybe he didn't see [coming back] so clearly. We have to respect his decision.

"A lot of the time, we don't put ourselves in the shoes of others and we lack empathy. Being Leo, being Messi cannot be easy. You speak about the spotlight, imagine what it's been like for him. He has never had any quiet.

"When he's playing, he has to be the best, 10 out of 10 in everything, attacking, defending, he can't miss a penalty. He's not had a good two years [in Paris], he has explained that.

"The hope [he would come back] was generated because we speak a lot. We were all excited: him, me, the club... but the circumstances didn't fall into place."

Messi, who turns 36 later this month, said the "final details" still need to be sorted before his move to Miami is officially complete, with his debut expected to take place in July once his PSG deal ends.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner could be joined at his new club by Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets, with sources confirming to ESPN the former Spain midfielder is in talks with Inter Miami, as well as two clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Xavi, meanwhile, said Barca's priority after missing out on Messi is to sign a creative midfielder and a replacement for Busquets, who is also out of contract on June 30.

However, he ruled out a move for PSG forward Neymar following rumours the Brazil forward has offered himself to the Catalan club.

"That's a surprise," Xavi said when asked about Neymar. "In theory, he's not part of our planning for the summer. I have a lot of time for him as a friend, but we have other priorities in the transfer market.

"The club know the players I want. I won't get into names, but we need a Busquets substitute and we lack another midfielder as well to play further forward."

Cash-strapped governing body will receive up to £150,000 to assist the organisation of next month’s event in the London Stadium

UK Sport has pledged up to £150,000 to support the staging of the Diamond League in London on July 23.

The money will come from National Lottery major event funding and UK Sport say it is “designed to cover a proportion of the projected deficit in hosting this year’s event and support a transition towards the long term viability of the UK hosting an annual Diamond League meeting”.

It follows UK Sport’s investment of £1.45m in the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, and £3m in the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham.

Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, said: “We have a talented group of British athletes who we are looking forward to seeing competing on the Diamond League stage in London in just a few weeks’ time. This is a great opportunity for the British public to see world-class athletics up close just a year out from the Paris Olympic Games.

“We want the UK to remain on the Diamond League calendar and for the event to become financially sustainable as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to working collaboratively with our colleagues at UK Athletics in the build up to the event and beyond to try to ensure this happens.”

The Diamond League is set to feature many of Britain’s leading stars such as Jake Wightman, Eilish McColgan and Dina Asher-Smith plus international athletes like Femke Bol and Sifan Hassan, with US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson the latest big-name signing this week.

Jack Buckner, UKA chief executive, said: “It’s great that UK Sport are supporting this summer’s Diamond League at the Olympic stadium. As well as continuing the support they have given to major athletics events over many years, it is recognition that it forms a key part of the athlete journey – hosting Diamond League athletics in the UK gives the GB and NI team the best possible build up and support towards major championship success.

“We’re grateful to UK Sport for this award, and look forward to working with them around the long term sustainability of athletics events staged in the UK.”

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) says there are no plans "to invest in rugby outside of Ireland" amid links to London Irish.

It has been reported that the IRFU has been in exploratory discussions with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby's governing body, about investing in Irish to preserve the stricken club.

The RFU has been contacted for comment.

A IRFU spokesperson said: "The RFU has informally kept the IRFU updated on the situation at London Irish.

"Naturally the IRFU is saddened by what has happened at the club and hope that the club's difficulties can be resolved sometime in the future."

The IRFU has four teams in the United Rugby Championship, made up of the four provinces of Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht.

The provinces feed Ireland's national team, and any investment in London Irish could provide an additional pathway for Irish talent in academies to break into the senior game.

The RFU would have to approve any IRFU involvement in London Irish.

London Irish were suspended from the Premiership after missing a deadline to pay players and staff or complete a takeover.

Former Ireland head coach Declan Kidney is director of rugby at the club and ex-Ulster and Ireland coach Les Kiss is the current head coach.

There are also a number of Irish players at the club.

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- The Oakland Athletics' search for a new home drew Nevada lawmakers into a special legislative session Wednesday to weigh whether the state should cover $380 million of the $1.5 billion stadium planned for the Las Vegas Strip.

Representatives from the A's and tourism officials, mirroring many of the talking points from a hearing just over a week ago, pitched the project as an economic success in a late afternoon presentation to senators, who have mostly kept quiet about how they will vote.

The bill has revived the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. A's representatives and some tourism officials argue the measure could add to Las Vegas' growing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers have warned that such a project would bring minimal benefits for a hefty public price tag.

Lawmakers' questions Wednesday were mostly skeptical or doubtful, while a few Republicans in the minority indicated support.

Democratic Senator Rochelle Nguyen was visibly frustrated as she recounted a previous hearing for the bill and the concerns about what many called a lack of public benefits from the plan. She questioned why the state Senate would consider stadium funding while initiatives for summer school and paid family leave were vetoed by the governor due to their cost.

"Lobbyist after lobbyist after lobbyist" said they would enhance community benefits after the previous hearing, she said.

"And yet, what is before us today is the same exact bill that we heard 10 days ago," she continued. "To say I'm extremely disappointed that no work has been done on this bill over the past 10 days is an understatement."

The public funding would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A's would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The proposed 30,000-seat stadium would be the smallest in Major League Baseball

Several lawmakers referenced many sports economists who say that potential benefits of stadiums are not worth public funding, even as more cities and states are putting up hundreds of millions or billions of dollars for new facilities.

But Jeremy Aguero, an economist and founder of Applied Analysis, a data research firm partnering with the A's, has long said that Las Vegas' tourism-based market would suit a baseball team better than any other city.

In a study his firm conducted -- and paid for by the A's -- he estimated that 405,000 people per year would not have visited Las Vegas if not for stadium events. Those visitors stay in hotels and spend money in resorts and restaurants at higher rates than they would in other cities, Aguero said.

"I think in this instance, you're probably in the minority here of people in your profession," said Senator Dallas Harris, a Democrat.

"The difference is not that I am different," Aguero responded. "The difference is that we are different as an economy, which sets us apart."

The Legislature adjourned Monday after its 120-day biennial session with disputes over one of the five major budget bills that funds capital improvement projects. On Tuesday, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo held a special legislative session to pass that bill.

Lombardo's office had introduced the stadium financing bill with less than two weeks left in the regular session. It is unclear how many days the second special session will last. The state Assembly is set to hear the bill on Thursday, and amendments could still come for the bill.

Special sessions are fairly common in Nevada's Legislature, which lasts for four months every other year. There have been seven since 2013 for a variety of reasons, such as pandemic protocols, statewide redistricting, budget disputes and approval for $750 million in public funding to help build Allegiant Stadium when the Oakland Raiders moved to Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, representatives from Oakland are not giving up on keeping the A's in their backyard.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D, California) sent a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred asking MLB not to "subsidize or otherwise encourage the relocation" of the A's, saying neither the team or the league have negotiated "in good faith" with the city of Oakland.

"The A's are not only planning a move away from Oakland, @MLB is incentivizing them to," Lee said in a tweet. "Today, I asked them to stay out of the way."

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao agreed in a subsequent tweet, reiterating her support to keep the club in Oakland.

The A's have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team previously sought to build a stadium in Fremont, California, as well as San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront -- all ideas that never materialized.

Manfred has said that a vote on the Athletics' prospective move could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.